Arab Strap

When you’ll be bare and unknown

On a walk in the park in the dark all alone

Your key’s in your bag, your earbuds full blast

To drown out the birds, disposition downcast

And you will call it bliss…

When it comes to BOtanique, the word is "guaranteed excellence": the now well-established Bologna kermesse, this year reaching its thirteenth edition and set within the gardens of Via Filippo Re, boasts a packed schedule of dates spread across June and July, and among those that had drawn the most attention since the first announcements were none other than Arab Strap, who return often, and gladly, to the Bolognese city. As already mentioned in our interview, the Scottish duo made up of Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton decided to center their new tour on their latest output, with no fewer than nine tracks drawn from their excellent recent effort "I'm totally fine with it don't give a fuck anymore", and three from their fine 2021 comeback "As Days Get Dark", throwing in a few extra surprises and reshaping the songs around an expanded five-piece lineup.

The opening triptych immediately sets the pace of the performance, following the tracklist of their latest release with the heavy stride of "Allatonceness", the dark electronics of "Bliss" and the drumming and arpeggios of "Sociometer Blues", all accompanied by striking lighting effects, some of which were even projected onto the arches of the Palazzina della Viola, behind the stage.

The set continues with the rhythm section pushed to the fore on "The Turning Of Our Bones", the luminous synth airs of "Hide Your Fires" and the electric piano of the brooding "Summer Season", right through to the flirtation between wave and electro of "Compersion, Pt. 1".

The haunted dark-pop of "Infrared", a rather unusual choice from "The Red Thread" (2001), takes on even hazier, more atmospheric contours in its new live incarnation, culminating in an unexpected instrumental close with Moffat on synthesizers, the perfect prelude to the unmistakable spoken-word monologue of "New Birds", a gem from "Philophobia" whose closing section, dominated by Middleton's guitar, is (as ever) spine-tingling.

We return to the present with the effective "Strawberry Moon", the melodies of "Haven't You Heard" and the feisty "Dreg Queen", before veering into the rhythms of "The Shy Retirer". The main set is brought to a superb close by the light phrasing of "Fable Of The Urban Fox" and the long, noisy crescendo of "Turn Off The Light".

The encore brings the minimal "Pyjamas" followed by the guitar riffs of the gorgeous, long instrumental close of "Girls Of Summer", taken from the eponymous EP released in 1997, rounding off a performance free of any flaw whatsoever. Almost thirty years into their career, Arab Strap are still able to surprise and enchant audiences, not only by pursuing new sonic horizons on record, but also through their flawless live reworkings; in this specific case, the setting of the chosen venue was a very welcome bonus.

In a situation like this, for the diehards willing to wait around, there's naturally no shortage of a brief convivial moment after the show, while the stage is cleared of the band's gear: an easygoing, friendly Aidan comes down among the crowd for photos and autographs, the shyer Malcolm takes his time to appear, and the rest of the supporting crew stop by for a chat, dishing out some fascinating anecdotes.

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